Microbiology and Molecular Biotechnology Major (B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.)) (24 credits)
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Degree: Bachelor of Science (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Program credit weight: 24
Program Description
Students following this specialization receive education and training in fundamental principles and applied aspects of microbiology. Complementary courses allow students to focus on basic microbial sciences or applied areas such as biotechnology. Successful graduates may work in university, government and industrial research laboratories, in the pharmaceutical, fermentation and food industries, and with an appropriate CGPA proceed to post-graduate studies or professional biomedical schools.
For information on academic advising, see: http://www.mcgill.ca/macdonald/studentinfo/advising
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (18 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BTEC 306 | Experiments in Biotechnology. | 3 |
Experiments in Biotechnology. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Practical laboratory-based research experience. Techniques in cellular and molecular biology, designing experiments and developing skills in interpretation and communication of experimental results. | ||
| MICR 331 | Microbial Ecology. | 3 |
Microbial Ecology. Terms offered: Winter 2026 The ecology of microorganisms, primarily bacteria and archaea, and their roles in biogeochemical cycles. Microbial interactions with the environment, plants, animals and other microbes emphasizing the underlying genetics and physiology. Diversity, evolution (microbial phylogenetics) and the application of molecular biology in microbial ecology. | ||
| MICR 338 | Bacterial Molecular Genetics. | 3 |
Bacterial Molecular Genetics. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Basic bacterial genetics, DNA damage and repair, mutagenesis, gene cloning, mapping and regulation, molecular biology. Laboratory sessions will provide the student with practical experience in the genetic manipulation of microbes and in molecular biology techniques. | ||
| MICR 341 | Mechanisms of Pathogenicity. | 3 |
Mechanisms of Pathogenicity. Terms offered: Fall 2025 A study of the means by which bacteria cause disease in animals and humans. Includes response of host to invading bacteria, bacterial attachment and penetration processes, and modes of actions of exotoxins and endotoxins. | ||
| MICR 450 | Environmental Microbiology. | 3 |
Environmental Microbiology. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Focus on microbes in the environment. Topics include extreme environments, polar microbiology, biotechnology and bioremediation. Emphasis will be on population studies based upon molecular biological methods. | ||
| PARA 424 | Fundamental Parasitology. | 3 |
Fundamental Parasitology. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Systematics, morphology, biology and ecology of parasitic protozoa, flatworms, roundworms and arthropods with emphasis on economically and medically important species. | ||
Complementary Courses and Suggested Electives (6 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANSC 350 | Food-Borne Pathogens. | 3 |
Food-Borne Pathogens. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Exploration of the taxonomy, characteristics, epidemiology, mechanisms of pathogenicity, disease, incidence, and factors affecting the survival and growth of pathogenic microorganisms in foods of animal origin; principles of detection, prevention and control of food-borne pathogens (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, helminths, viruses). | ||
| ANSC 420 | Animal Biotechnology. | 3 |
Animal Biotechnology. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Applications of animal biotechnology in agriculture, biomedicine and environmental preservation, including culture, manipulation and transformation of somatic cells, isolation of stem cells, reproductive biotechnologies, animal cloning by nuclear transplantation, production of genetically modified and gene-edited animals, and cell and gene therapies. | ||
| BINF 511 | Bioinformatics for Genomics. | 3 |
Bioinformatics for Genomics. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Bioinformatics methods and reasoning in relation to genomics, proteomics and metabolomics strategies with an emphasis on functional genomics data. The course will cover introduction to UNIX, Perl programming, data processing and integration, file parsing, relational database design and implementation, angled towards solutions relevant for genomics. | ||
| BTEC 501 | Bioinformatics. | 3 |
Bioinformatics. Terms offered: Fall 2025 This course introduces the application of computer software for analysis of biological sequence information. An emphasis is placed on the biological theory behind analytical techniques, the algorithms used and methods of developing a statistical framework for various types of analysis. | ||
| BTEC 535 | Functional Genomics in Model Organisms. | 3 |
Functional Genomics in Model Organisms. Terms offered: Winter 2026 An overview of strategies used to understand the function of genes, especially those identified through genome sequencing and bioinformatics. Use of model organisms that have proved particularly valuable for this purpose. | ||
| BTEC 555 | Structural Bioinformatics. | 3 |
Structural Bioinformatics. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Fundamentals of protein structure and the application of tools for structure determination, how protein structure allows us to understand the complex biological functions, and how knowledge of protein structure can contribute to drug discovery. | ||
| FDSC 442 | Food Microbiology. | 3 |
Food Microbiology. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Topics in Food Microbiology including an overview of the natural flora and microbiological spoilage of food products, methods of control and shelf-life extension, methods of detection and control food-borne pathogens and the use of suitable microorganisms in the production of a variety of food products. | ||
| MIMM 324 | Fundamental Virology. | 3 |
Fundamental Virology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the fundamental properties of viruses and their interactions with host cells. Bacteriophages, DNA- and RNA-containing animal viruses, and retroviruses are covered. Emphasis will be on phenomena occurring at the molecular level and on the regulated control of gene expression in virus-infected cells. | ||
| PLNT 304 | Biology of Fungi. | 3 |
Biology of Fungi. Terms offered: Winter 2026 This course describes the various groups of fungi and explores in depth their biology and physiology, their ecological niches and the role in various ecosystems and their benefits and uses in industry and biotechnology. | ||